An incident in the awards area of Times Square on Saturday night led to a fight between two men, which ended when one pulled out a knife and stabbed the other to death, police said.
The victim, 39-year-old Alan Stanford from Harlem, was reaching for a prize on a high shelf at Dave & Buster’s when the object fell and may have hit a little girl who was with Jesse Armstrong, 41, police said.
The dispute between the two men escalated into a fistfight before Mr Armstrong pulled out a knife and stabbed Mr Stanford, according to police.
Dave & Buster’s, a popular, family-friendly location on West 42nd Street near Eighth Avenue that attracts celebrities like Beyonce and Drake, allows customers to exchange tickets won by arcade games for prizes such as stuffed animals, candy, appliances and Sony PlayStations.
The prize at the center of Saturday’s deadly dispute is said to be a drone, according to one person who was briefed.
At around 10:45 p.m., police said officers responded to a call to 911 about the attack and found Mr Stanford at the scene of the stab wound to the chest. He was taken to St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Dave & Buster’s said in a statement: “We are fully cooperating with the police in their investigation. Our thoughts and sympathy are with those affected by this horrific incident. “
Mr Armstrong, who police say lives in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights, has been arrested on a post-mortem murder charge. He was awaiting trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday afternoon, when the restaurant and hall were open, several dozen customers walked around a gaming area full of flashing lights and bells and loaded with player consoles, high-definition video screens, old-fashioned mini basketball hoops and prize machines.
Inside the prize shop in the back corner, trinkets that could be paid for in tickets won in the arcade hung on spindles or stood on high shelves: a colored fleece blanket for 1,850 tickets; a giant stuffed panda for 12,000; brand kitchen mixer for 130 000.
After visiting Dave & Buster’s on Sunday, Kenya’s Woods of Manhattan took to the bustling 42nd Street with two relatives. Ms. Woods said she came in knowing that she had been stabbed there the night before.
“Whatever happens will happen; you have no control over it, “she said. “It simply came to our notice then. You can’t let that stop you from living your life. ”
Susan S. Beachy contributed to the study.
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